196 



MRS. BASLEY'S WESTERN POULTRY BOOK 



them fast. After having two die in the 

 shell, I found they would free them- 

 selves if a few drops of warm water 

 were sprinkled on them. I kept moist- 

 ure in the pans all three days and part 

 of the fourth and they are still slowly 

 hatching. This is the twenty-third day. 

 Do you think I should keep the moisture 

 pan full for a week — I mean the last 

 week of incubation ? Please send me an 

 idea on chick feed, as I cannot get good, 

 clean chick feed here. — Mrs. P. W. B. 



Answer — If you had only mentioned 

 the name of the incubator you are us- 

 ing, I could have better diagnosed your 

 case. As it is, all I can say to you is 

 to follow the rules and directions they 

 give you as closely as possible. With 

 some machines it is very advisable to 

 sprinkle the eggs twice a week after 

 the first week with warm water; this 

 seems to make the shells more brittle 

 and prevents the inner lining skin from 

 toughening. I have found this better 

 than keeping much moisture in the ma- 

 chine. The moisture in the machine 

 seems to make the chick grow, but does 

 not make the shell brittle. Your Ply- 

 mouth Rock eggs should hatch prompt- 

 ly on the 21st day. The delayed incuba- 

 tion indicates that part of the time the 

 temperature has been too low. Are you 

 sure that your thermometer is perfect- 

 ly correct; have volt had it tested? On 

 the efficiency of the thermometer much 

 depends. Many thermometers that are 

 accurate at first become, through the use 

 of unseasoned glass in their manufac- 

 ture, absolutely incorrect after a few 

 months' use. Others are really only 

 within two to four degrees of being 

 correct, therefore, be sure you have your 

 thermometer tested. About the chicken 

 feed, write to the Experiment Station, 

 University of California, Berkeley. This 

 pives you the list of foods available in 

 your part of the country, with the proper 

 proportion for mixing them, see page 38. 



Eggs for Hatching — Will you kindly 

 tell me what is the matter with my 

 eggs? They will not hatch well. Our 

 hens are Brown Leghorns and Rhode 

 Island Reds. I only got fifteen chick- 

 ens in my last batch. When we break 

 the eggs after we know they will not 

 hatch we find the chicks dead, but fully 

 formed and just ready to hatch. Per- 

 haps the shells are too hard. Will you 

 please tell me what to do to make a 

 softer shell? Feed according to your 

 directions, 



Is it necessary to put moisture in the 

 incubator? Does it hurt the eggs to 

 sprinkle them with warm water if we 

 think the shells are too hard? I will 

 be very thankful if you will answer this, 

 as I want to know before I commence 

 to save eggs for next incubator lot. I 

 do not keep them over two weeks and 

 keep them in a cool, dark place, turning 

 them every day. — Mrs. G. A. M. 



Answer — I wish I could tell you for 

 certain what causes chickens to die in 

 the shell. I have my theories about it, 

 and I believe it comes from the eggs 

 not being aired and cooled sufficiently. 

 Cooling them and then warming them 

 up again seems to make the shells more 

 brittle, and this is the same under hens. 

 If I notice that a hen is sitting too 

 closely, I take her off twice a day to cool 

 the eggs. With an incubator I would 

 air them and turn them three times a 

 day, and either sprinkle them three 

 times during the last ten days or float 

 them in warm water two days before 

 the hatch is due. Float them from three 

 to five minutes, and then put them back 

 into the tray while they are wet. I do 

 not believe in putting moisture into the 

 incubator unless the directions call 

 for it. 



Incubator Chicks Dying Off— We 

 have started in with the R. I. Reds, and 

 have been fairly successful until our 

 last hatch. Out of 65 eggs 44 came out. 

 Last_ Saturday they commenced dying 

 off, just fell seemingly from weakness 

 and died soon after. We have fed them 

 chick feed, bran, Indian meal, cayenne 

 pepper, beef scraps, twice per day, and a 

 little germazone in water occasionally. 

 — C R. H. 



Answer — From your description I am 

 afraid that the chickens have either 

 been chilled or may have been overheat- 

 ed. Either one of these conditions will 

 cause the symptoms you describe. All 

 you can do now is to give them rice 

 boiled in milk, adding a tablespoonful 

 of ground cinnamon to each pint. Give 

 them also chopped lettuce and onions. 

 Do not give any corn meal or beef 

 scraps. When chicks have been over- 

 heated either in incubator or brooder, it 

 so weakens their bowels that they can- 

 not digest their food and they die of 

 starvation. 



Poor Hatching — I should like very 

 much if you can give me some informa- 



